svešvaloda

From sveša (“strange, foreign [fem.]”) +‎ valoda (“language”).

svešvaloda f (4th declension)

1. foreign language (a language which is not one's own native language)

   mācīties svešvalodas ― to learn foreign languages

   svešvalodu kursi ― foreign language courses

   svešvalodu skolotāji ― foreign language teachers

   Nu un kā klājas Ritai?” “Dzīvo jūrmalā. Taisās studēt svešvalodas.” ― “So, and how is Rita?” “She's living at the seaside. She is going to study foreign languages.”

Though sometimes used interchangeably, the phrase sveša valoda tends to means “strange, alien language,” while the compound svešvaloda is the normal term for “foreign language” (cf. German Fremdsprache and fremde Sprache).

• dzimtā valoda